Method of resistance-welding workpieces of metal and resistance-welded weldment of metal

Abstract: Workpieces of aluminum alloy are resistance-welded while a powdery mixture (1) of magnesium and a metal oxide is being interposed between regions of workpieces (2,4) of aluminum alloy which are to be joined to each other. The metal oxide may comprise at least one material selected from the group consisting of TiO₂, SiO₂, Cr₂O₃, MnO₂, Fe₂O₃, CuO, and Ti₂O₃ and the powdery mixture may include aluminum powder. The workpieces may be made of aluminum, stainless steel, or the like rather than aluminum alloy.

Description: The present invention relates to a method of resistance-welding workpieces of metal, especially workpieces of aluminum alloy. Aluminum alloys (including aluminum) are widely used as components in aircraft, vehicles, etc. as they are highly resistant to corrosion and have good machinability. If workpieces of aluminum alloy are to be spot-welded, a large electric current needs to be supplied to the workpieces of aluminum alloy in a short period of time because the aluminum alloy has small electric resistance and large thermal conductivity. When a large electric current is supplied to the workpieces of aluminum alloy, however, electrode tips tend to be fused with the workpieces of aluminum alloy. It has been proposed to interpose a thin film of zinc between workpieces of aluminum alloy as disclosed in Japanese patent publication No. 54-41550. According to this publication, the thin film of zinc is interposed between regions of aluminum plates which are to be resistance-welded, and then instantaneously melted in a resistance welding process to produce a high-resistance area to concentrate electric energy thereon. Japanese patent publication No. 59-26392 discloses a thin layer of titanium, rather than a thin film of zinc, to be interposed between aluminum workpieces to be welded, and Japanese patent publication No. 59-26393 discloses a thin sheet of stainless steel, rather than a thin film of zinc, to be interposed between aluminum workpieces to be welded. Placing an aluminum alloy having a higher electric resistance than workpieces of aluminum which are to be welded between those workpieces is disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 63-278679. The thin film of zinc, the thin layer of titanium, the thin sheet of stainless steel, and the high-electric-resistance aluminum alloy are effective to increase the electric resistance of a local area of the aluminum workpieces, but are ineffective to lower the electric current that is necessary to be supplied to the aluminum workpieces because all the heat required to weld the aluminum workpieces is generated as Joule heat. Among various demands in recent years is to increase a welded area with a constant electric current supplied to workpieces that are to be resistance-welded. However, such a demand cannot be met by the above conventional welding processes because they need an increased electric current to be supplied to produce an increased welded area. Resistance-welding of workpieces made of aluminum, stainless steel, or other metals, rather than aluminum alloy, also requires the welding current to be lowered as with the resistance-welding of workpieces of aluminum alloy. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of resistance-welding metal workpieces with reduced Joule heat, a lowered melting point, and a reduced welding current to produce a welded region having an increased mechanical strength. Another object of the present invention is to provide a weldment of aluminum alloy which is resistance-welded by such a method. The principles of the present invention are based on positive utilization of the heat produced by a thermit reaction and a reduction in the melting point by an eutectic. According to the present invention, there is provided a method of resistance-welding metal workpieces, comprising the steps of interposing a powdery mixture composed of metal powder and a metal oxide powder for developing a thermit reaction between said work pieces in areas to be welded, resistance welding said work pieces in said areas by supplying a welding current through resistance welding electrodes, said welding current passing through said metal work pieces and said powdery mixture, thereby producing heat due to contact resistance and to a thermit reaction in said powdery mixture induced by said current passing through said metal work pieces and said powdery mixture. The powdery mixture produces an amount of heat Q which is equal to or higher than 100 cal/g in the thermit reaction. The metal powder comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, zinc, titanium, and silicon. The metal oxide powder comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of SiO 2 , Cr 2 O 3 , TiO 2 , MnO 2 , Fe 2 O 3 , CuO, and Ti 2 O 3 . The above and further objects, details and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view showing a first powdery mixture spread over a rolled sheet in a resistance welding method according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional view showing the manner in which metal workpieces start being spot-welded in the resistance welding method according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the spot-welded metal workpieces at the time the spot-welding process is finished; and FIG. 4 is a graph showing welding currents supplied to obtain necessary nugget diameters "d" of 5.5 mm prescribed by JIS (Japan Industrial Standards), Class A, in Experimental Examples according to the first embodiment and Comparative Examples. A resistant welding method according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. If a powdery mixture contains a metal oxide of MeO, then when an electric current passes through the mixed power, the powdery mixture causes a thermit reaction represented by 3MeO + 2Al → Al 2 O 3 + 3Me + q (heat of reaction) due to a contact resistance. The inventors conducted various experiments in order to lower an electric current required by a process of resistance-welding metal workpieces by sufficiently increasing the heating efficiency of welded regions based on the heat produced by such a thermit reaction and the resistance heating caused by a contact resistance between the metal workpieces and a powdery mixture. Two rolled sheets made of an Al-Mg alloy (A5182-O material) were selected as workpieces to be spot-welded. Each of the rolled sheets has a thickness of 1.2 mm, and has a low specific resistance of 5.2 µΩcm at room temperature. 0.06 g of aluminum powder having an average particle diameter of 150 µm or less and 0.14 g of a metal oxide powder, i.e., Ti 2 O 3 , having an average particle diameter of 5 µm or less were mixed with each other for use as a first powdery mixture. As shown in FIG. 1, the first powdery mixture, denoted by 1, was spread to a thickness of 0.8 mm over the surface of a welding region 3 of one of the rolled sheets, denoted by 2. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the two rolled sheets, denoted by 2, 4, respectively, were superposed on each other with the first powdery mixture 1 interposed between their respective welding regions 3, 5. Thereafter, the welding regions 3, 5 were pressed against each other under a pressure of 430 kgf by and between a pair of electrode tips 6, 7 each having an outside diameter of 19 mm and a round tip end whose radius of curvature is 80 mm. At the same time, a welding current supplied from a single-phase rectified power supply was passed between the electrode tips 6, 7 in four cycles for thereby spot-welding the welding regions 3, 5 to each other through a nugget 8 interposed therebetween as shown in FIG. 3. Due to the contact resistance, the first powdery mixture 1 generated heat of reaction due to a thermit reaction represented by Ti 2 O 3 + 2Al → Al 2 O 3 + 2Ti + 35.4 kcal., and the generated amount of heat Q was Q = 178 cal/g. It was found that the heating efficiency of the welding regions 3, 5 could be sufficiently increased by combining the heat of reaction and the resistance heating caused by the contact resistance between the welding regions 3, 5 and the first powdery mixture 1. The above example will be referred to as Inventive Example 1. 0.1 g of aluminum powder having an average particle diameter of 150 µm or less and 0.1 g of TiO having an average particle diameter of 5 µm or less were mixed with each other for use as a second powdery mixture. Welding regions 3, 5 of two rolled sheets 2, 4 were spot-welded with the second powdery mixture interposed therebetween under the same conditions as described above in Inventive Example 1. Due to the contact resistance, the second powdery mixture generated heat of reaction due to a thermit reaction represented by 3TiO + 2Al → Al 2 O 3 + 3Ti + 23.2 kcal., and the generated amount of heat Q was Q = 94 cal/g. This example will be referred to as Inventive Example 2. In Comparative Example 1 which corresponds to a conventional process, an aluminum alloy foil having a high electric resistance was interposed between welding regions 3, 5 of two rolled sheets 2, 4, and they were spot-welded under the same conditions as described above in Inventive Example 1. The foil was made of Al 99.3 Mn 0.7 (the numerals indicate atomic %), had a thickness of 48 µm, a width of 15 mm, a length of 30 mm, and a specific resistance of 7.1 µΩcm at room temperature. This specific resistance wag higher than the specific resistance of 5.2 µΩcm of the rolled sheets 2, 4. Welding regions 3, 5 of two rolled sheets 2, 4 were spot-welded with nothing interposed therebetween were spot-welded under the same conditions as described above in Inventive Example 1. This example will be referred to as Comparative Example 2. FIG. 4 shows welding currents supplied to obtain necessary nugget diameters "d" of 5.5 mm prescribed by JIS (Japan Industrial Standards), Class A, in Inventive Examples 1, 2 according to the first embodiment and Comparative Examples 1, 2. It can be seen from FIG. 4 that the welding current needed in Inventive Example 1 was 8000 A and the welding current needed in Inventive Example 2 was 15000 A, whereas the welding currents needed in Comparative Examples 1, 2 were 17500 A and 18000 A, respectively. Accordingly, Inventive Examples 1, 2 required lower electric currents as welding currents than Comparative Examples 1, 2. The welding current in Inventive Example 1 is much lower than the welding current in Inventive Example 2. This is because the amount of heat Q generated by the first powdery mixture is greater than the amount of heat Q generated by the second powdery mixture. Various experiments were carried out to determine an amount of heat Q which is required to achieve a welding current which is as low as with Inventive Example 1. As a result, it was found that the required amount of heat Q was equal to or greater than 100 cal/g (Q > 100 cal/g). Other powdery mixtures capable of generating such an amount of heat Q, their thermit reactions, and their generated amounts of heat Q are given in Table below: Thermit reactions of powdery mixtures Amount of heat Q (cal/g) 3/2SiO 2 + 2Al → Al 2 O 3 + 3/2Si + 71 kcal. 493 Cr 2 O 3 + 2Al → Al 2 O 3 + 2Cr + 125 kcal. 609 3/2TiO 2 + 2Al → Al 2 O 3 + 3/2Ti + 59 kcal. 340 3/2MnO 2 + 2Al → Al 2 O 3 + 3/2Mn + 212 kcal. 1147 Fe 2 O 3 + 2Al → Al 2 O 3 + 2Fe + 201 kcal. 940 3CuO + 2Al → Al 2 O 3 + 3Cu + 285 kcal. 975 MnO 2 + Zr → ZrO 2 + Mn + 137.9 kcal. 774 MnO 2 + Ti → TiO 2 + Mn + 101.4 kcal. 752 MnO 2 + Si → SiO 2 + Mn + 93.4 kcal. 811 1/2MnO 2 + Mg → MgO + 1/2Mn + 80.4 kcal. 1186 If other metal powders than the Al, Mg powders, then the combined amount of generated heat is greater than the values indicated above because metal oxides of ZrO 2 , TiO 2 , SiO 2 generated in the above thermit reactions cause a secondary thermit reaction with the aluminum of the workpieces to be welded. Zr, Ti, Si, and Cr generated by the reactions are effective to produce a fine structure in a matrix of aluminum, and hence they can strengthen the nuggets. In the first embodiment, it is possible to further reduce the welding current by reducing the diameter of the electrode tips 6, 7 for a higher current density. Furthermore, the principles of the first embodiment are applicable to a process of resistance-welding metal workpieces made of aluminum, stainless steel, or the like, and such a resistance-welding process includes a seam welding process. According to the first embodiment, as described above, a welding current required in a process of resistance-welding metal workpieces can be lowered by utilizing a thermit reaction as well as resistance heating, and the reduced welding current allows positive and negative electrodes used to have a longer service life and results in a reduction in the cost of welding equipment used. As a result of the inventors' study of various welding processes, it has been found that since magnesium is eutectic with respect to aluminum, when an electric current is supplied to workpieces of aluminum with magnesium interposed therebetween, the aluminum and magnesium can melt at the eutectic point into an aluminum - magnesium alloy of large electric resistance with a relatively low electric current, that when a metal oxide is added other than magnesium, the metal oxide reacts with aluminum or magnesium in a violent exothermic reaction called a thermit reaction while the aluminum and magnesium are melting at the eutectic point, resulting in a sharp increase in the temperature of the melted region and an increase in the area of the welded joint, and that the mechanical strength of the welded joint is increased by a solid solution of aluminum and magnesium where up to 17 weight % of magnesium can be included. Specifically, in a process of resistance-welding workpieces of aluminum alloy, a powdery mixture of magnesium and a metal oxide is interposed between regions of the workpieces of aluminum alloy which are to be joined to each other. The metal oxide is at least one selected from the group consisting of TiO 2 , SiO 2 , Cr 2 O 3 , MnO 2 , Fe 2 0 3 , CuO and Ti 2 O 3 for example. Aluminum powder may be added to the powdery mixture. If the metal oxide is TiO 2 , SiO 2 , Cr 2 O 3 , or MnO 2 , then Ti, Si, Cr, or Mn is generated in a thermit reaction, and the generated element is effective to suppress crystallization of Al 3 Mg 2 which is one of the factors that tend to reduce the mechanical strength of the welded joint. As a result, the mechanical strength of the welded joint is allowed to increase. The added aluminum powder cooperates with the magnesium powder in accelerating the eutectic reaction. EXPERIMENTAL EXAMPLES including Inventive Examples according to a second embodiment of the present invention and Comparative Examples according to the conventional welding process are given below. The present invention is however not limited to these Inventive Examples. EXPERIMENTAL EXAMPLES 1 ∼ 8 (Inventive Examples 3 ∼ 8, Comparative Examples 3, 4): Workpieces to be welded (base material): Material: Rolled Al - Mg aluminum alloy (A5182) Thickness: 1.2 mm Welding conditions: Power supply: Inverter power supply Current: 12 kA (Experimental examples 1 ∼ 7) 10 kA (Experimental example 8) Pressure: 400 kgf Powdery mixture: Coated amount: 0.1 g per 400 mm 2 (e.g., 20 mm × 20 mm) Composition: Mixture of magnesium powder (particle diameter of 300 µm or less) and metal oxide powder (particle diameter of 5 µm or less), or mixture of magnesium powder (particle diameter of 300 µm or less), metal oxide powder (particle diameter of 5 µm or less), and aluminum powder (particle diameter of 150 µm or less). The composition of the powdery mixture was varied in Inventive Examples 3 ∼ 8, with no powdery mixture contained in Comparative Examples 3, 4. The workpieces were spot-welded, and the tensile shear loads were checked. The results are given in Table 1 below. The tensile shear load is a tensile load applied to the joined surfaces when they are torn apart under shear stresses caused by the tensile load. Experimental Examples Workpiece Material Powdery mixture (A) kgf Welding conditions Composition Amount In. Ex. 3 A5182 20wt%TiO 2 -Mg 0.1g/400mm 2 218 12kA, 16cy. In. Ex. 4 A5182 20wt%TiO 2 -10wt%Mg-Al 0.1g/400mm 2 284 12kA, 16cy. In. Ex. 5 A5182 60wt%Cr 2 O 3 -Mg 0.1g/400mm 2 263 12kA, 16cy. In. Ex. 6 A5182 10wt%MnO 2 -Mg 0.1g/400mm 2 240 12kA, 16cy. In. Ex. 7 A5182 20wt%SiO 2 -Mg 0.1g/400mm 2 205 12kA, 16cy. In. Ex. 8 A5182 20wt%SiO 2 -10wt%Mg-Al 0.1g/400mm 2 268 12kA, 16cy. Co. Ex. 3 A5182 None 150 12kA, 16cy. Co. Ex. 4 A5182 None 202 18kA, 16cy. (A) : Tensile shear load It can be seen from Table 1 above that the tensile shear load in Comparative Example 3 was 150 kgf, the tensile shear load in Inventive Examples 3, 5, 6, 7 with magnesium powder added exceeded 200 kgf, and the tensile shear load in Inventive Examples 4, 8 with aluminum powder added exceeded 250 kgf. If the tensile shear load were to be increased in the conventional welding process, then the welding current would have to be increased as in Comparative Example 4. However, the increased welding current would not be preferable as it would fall to achieve the object of the present invention. As described above, according to the present invention, in resistance-welding workpieces of aluminum alloy, a powdery mixture of magnesium and a metal oxide is interposed between regions of the workpieces of aluminum alloy which are to be joined to each other. The temperature of the melted region is sharply increased by a thermit reaction, and, as a result, the area of the welded joint is increased. Furthermore, inasmuch as magnesium is eutectic with respect to aluminum, when an electric current is supplied to workpieces of aluminum with magnesium interposed therebetween, the aluminum and magnesium can melt at the eutectic point into an aluminum - magnesium alloy with a relatively low electric current. Because the aluminum - magnesium alloy is of large electric resistance, the Joule heat produced by the welding process can be reduced, and the welding current which is required to be supplied can also be reduced. Up to 17 wt % of magnesium can be included in a solid solution with aluminum. The mechanical strength of the welded joint is increased by the magnesium in the solid solution. If the metal oxide is TiO 2 , SiO 2 , Cr 2 O 3 , or MnO 2 , then Ti, Si, Cr, or Mn is generated in a thermit reaction, and the generated element is effective to suppress crystallization of Al 3 Mg 2 which is one of the factors that tend to reduce the mechanical strength of the welded joint. As a result, the mechanical strength of the welded joint is allowed to increase. When aluminum powder is added to the powdery mixture of magnesium and a metal oxide, the added aluminum powder cooperates with the magnesium powder in accelerating the eutectic reaction. The welding process according to the second embodiment of the present invention thus allows workpieces of aluminum alloy to be welded efficiently. Since the supplied welding current is relatively small, the electrode tips and the workpieces are prevented from being fused with each other. Although there has been described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative, and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Important aspects of the described invention are as follows: Workpieces of aluminum alloy are resistance-welded while a powdery mixture of magnesium and a metal oxide is being interposed between regions of workpieces of aluminum alloy which are to be joined to each other. The metal oxide may comprise at least one material selected from the group consisting of TiO 2 , SiO 2 , Cr 2 O 3 , MnO 2 , Fe 2 O 3 , CuO, and Ti 2 O 3 and the powdery mixture may include aluminum powder. The workpieces may be made of aluminum, stainless steel, or the like rather than aluminum alloy.

Claims: A method of welding metal work pieces (2, 4) comprising the steps of: interposing a powdery mixture (1) composed of metal powder and a metal oxide powder for developing a thermit reaction between said work pieces (2, 4) in areas (3, 5) to be welded, resistance welding said work pieces (2, 4) in said areas (3, 5) by supplying a welding current through resistance welding electrodes (6, 7), said welding current passing through said metal work pieces (2, 4) and said powdery mixture (1), thereby producing heat due to contact resistance and to a thermit reaction in said powdery mixture (1) induced by said current passing through said metal work pieces (2, 4) and said powdery mixture (1). A method according to claim 1, wherein said powdery mixture (1) produces an amount of heat Q which is equal to or higher than 100 cal/g in the thermit reaction. A method according to claim 1, wherein said metal powder (1) comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, zinc, titanium, and silicon. A method according to claim 1, wherein said metal oxide powder comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of SiO 2 , Cr 2 O 3 , TiO 2 , MnO 2 , Fe 2 O 3 , CuO, and Ti 2 O 3 . A method according to claim 1, wherein said metal workpieces (2, 4) are made of an aluminum-base metallic material. A method according to claim 1, wherein said metal workpieces (2, 4) are made of an aluminum alloy. A method according to claim 1, wherein said powdery mixture (1) contains aluminum powder and magnesium powder.

Inventors: FURUKAWA YUICHI, IRIE TAKUSHI, IWAI ICHIRO, IWASA TAKASHI, OKABE SHINJI, FURUKAWA, YUICHI, IRIE, TAKUSHI, IWAI, ICHIRO, IWASA, TAKASHI, OKABE, SHINJI, FURUKAWA, YUICHI, C/O SHOWA ALUMINUM CORPORATION, Irie, Takushi, c/o Honda R &amp; D Co., Ltd., IWAI, ICHIRO, C/O SHOWA ALUMINUM CORPORATION, Iwasa, Takashi, c/o Honda R &amp; D Co., Ltd., Okabe, Shinji, c/o Honda R &amp; D Co., Ltd.
Applicants: HONDA MOTOR CO LTD, SHOWA ALUMINUM CORP, HONDA GIKEN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, SHOWA ALUMINUM CORPORATION
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B23K23
IPC codes: B23K11, B23K35, B23K23, B23K103